Earth Hour MESSAGE FROM ANG LAI SOON
This year the World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF, is challenging the cities of the world to do more than turn out their lights for one hour from 8.30 pm on Saturday, 25 March, 2017.
“The challenge is a year-long competition among cities to promote renewable energy and prepare for climate change.
My immediate question is “Why should this be confined to cities?” Surely, these aims should extend to towns, as well as to any human settlement and to individual dwellings. And include not just promoting renewal energy but also include installing renewable energy devices.
We, in Malaysia, comprising West Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah, and, in fact, the whole region, are in tropical areas with an abundance of sunshine available to provide all the hot water we need from solar water heaters and all the power we need during most days by fitting solar panels.
Batteries to store the power provided by the solar panels are gradually becoming more economical to meet domestic light and power needs overnight.
We, the people, as individuals are not in a position to “transition towards the ideal goal of 100 percent renewable and address local climate threats by implementing practical measures that improve air quality, protect water supplies and reduce urban flooding and other forms of environmental problems” called for by WWF.
Our influence as individuals is limited to our choice of leaders at the federal and state government levels. The governments have stated that they will protect the environment. We must give our support as well.
But as individuals and households, by turning off our lights and appliances for one hour, we can show we do care about our environment and show leaders at all levels that we expect them to adopt and move towards the aims of all those who are concerned about our rather fragile environment and WWF.
And, at the same time, show our support for environmental conservation and protection and the work of WWF .
May WWF Malaysia be successful in our country moving towards the broad aims of the WWF so sorely needed here and take up the WWF challenge of year-long competition among cities, and, hopefully, to include towns and all human settlements, to promote renewable energy and prepare for climate change.
And as individuals and households looking into and installing our own solar water heaters and solar panels with battery storage so that our energy requirements in the home are produced in an environmentally friendly way.
In the last few years, the world has seen unprecedented extreme temperatures, typhoons, floods , melting icebergs, wild fires and other environmental problems relating to Climate Change.
SHOULD WE NOT DO MORE TO MINIMISE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE?
Each and everyone of us has both a duty and a responsibility to help to minimise the dramatic Climate Change. Let it not be said that this generation is mainly responsible for the present state of the environment!
